Information Technologies Entering Test
Part 1. Reading
Assignment 1. Read the text and decide which of the given variants A ,B, C, or D best completes the sentence with regards to what was stated or implied in the text
Computer Versus TV
Get kids away from the telly and doing something useful.
It’s official: TV makes kids fat. According to a recent study, adults who had been avid TV watches as children were more likely to be overweight, to smoke and to have high cholesterol.
“Children should watch no more than two hours of TV a day to protect their future health”, the study warned, adding that parents should: lead by example” and turn the TV off.
But agreeing and doing are too different things. Ty is a great help to many parents, taking away some of the daily pressure of entertaining children.
Even if the benefits are often too short-term, with kids often ending up bored, listless, uncommunicative and grumpy after just a few hours of television viewing, today’s busy urban lifestyles often allow for few alternatives. Except, that is, for computers. Computers don’t replace the need for children to get out of the house and take good exercise, but they do offer a “lean forward “experience that is much to be preferred over TV’s passive, Lean back” mode of viewing
The body language says it all. At a computer, children can get a reaction. They can be mentally active and emotionally responsive when engaging with quality computer software or emailing friends.
Good computer content can enable children to engage actively, to be creative and to grow intellectually. Of course children need to be physically active and every day they should be outside playing, cycling, and running about at some point. But there are times when it is necessary to be indoors and if there is a computer to hand, well let’s see children use it to best effect. With a little help from parents – or grandparents – the computer becomes a really valuable tool.
The main idea of the article is that:
Children should not watch TV
Computers are more useful than television
Both TV and computers should be banned
Only computers are good for children
It can be inferred from the article that excessive TV watching:
may lead to sad results
is harmful not only for children
is not bad for children’s health
should be started by parents
3. One of the problems as seen by the study is that:
A. Parents don’t watch TV together with their children
B. Children watch TV two hours a day
C. Too much TV is usually on
D. Parents and children play computer games together
4. One can make a conclusion that parents often use television as:
A. a babysitter
B. a means of family entertainment
C. a source of information
D) a means of family agreement
5. The word “listless” may most probably mean”
A. indignant B. furious C. indifferent D. sad
6. The article implies that in big cities children:
A. have a good choice of activities
B. have not many options how to spend time
C. only watch television or play computer games
D. can do nothing at all
7. It is stated in the article that computers .... serve as an alternative to watching television.
A. must B. can C. should D. have to
8. One can assume that computers:
A. provide more physical exercise
.) are more informative than TV
C. are enough for children’s development
D. evoke a sort of response from children
9. What was NOT mentioned in the article as benefits of using computers is:
A. personal interest
B. developing imagination
C. getting physical response
D. using brains
10. According to the article, computers may be:
A. rather helpful
B. the only source of emotional response
C. no alternative to television
D. useful for parents or grandparents
Assignment 2. Read the text and decide which of the given variants A ,B, C, or D best completes the sentence with regards to what was stated or implied in the text
Video Game Addiction: Nearly 1 in 10 Children is At Risk
Roughly 1 in 10 children who play video games are at risk of becoming pathologically addicted to them, found a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. That means for every classroom of 30 kids, three of them could develop a hardcore digital addiction that boosts the risk of depression, social phobia and poor school performance, the study found. Over a two-year span, researches from the US, Hong Kong and Singapore studied the video game habit of 3,000 Singaporean children from grades 3, 4, 7, and 8.
Kids who averaged 31 or more hours of game play a week were classified as pathological or “obsessive” gamers and were determined more likely to develop serious mental health issues. Inclined to believe video game addiction is just a passing phrase? WebMD reports that 84 percent of students who were considered addicts when the study began were still addicted two years later. Still, such findings are preliminary. US News reports: Although pathological video gaming appears to share a number of characteristics with other addictive behaviors, such as pathological gambling, the researchers noted that: pathological gaming” is not yet an established psychological disorder.
11. What is said to be a potential risk of digital addiction?
A. fear of interacting with people in social situations.
B. good grades
C. weight gain
D. fear of leaving one’s room or house.
12. According to the study, children playing more than 30 hours of video games a week are more vulnerable to:
A. psychological problems
B. gambling addiction
C. video game burnout
D. digital pathologies
13. In the text “Passing phrase” means:
A. something that continues for a long time.
B. something that only lasts a short time.
C. when people share opinions
D. when people play games with each other
14. The tone of the article can best be described as
A. ambivalent B. concerned C. overwhelmed D. apathetic
15. According to the article, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT:
A. psychologists have recognized pathological gaming as an official condition.
B. only a minority of children are at risk for pathological gaming disorders.
C. video game addiction is likely to be a long-term condition.
D. a variety of problems come from video game addiction.
Assignment 3. Read the text below. For questions (16-20) choose the correct answer A, B, C, D
Application Letter from Princeton University
Dear Student:
We are happy to see you applying to Princeton University. You will see from the application that we are interested in who you are, what you have accomplished academically and personally, and how you have organized your life so far. Your ability to make new ideas and express yourself with the written word is the key to our decision, because your writing reflects how you think. The best applications come from students who have spent time on their applications and essays, editing them many times and making their message the best.
Princeton has an honour system that we take seriously. at Princeton, students live by the values of fairness, principle and intellectual honesty, and we expect every applicant to abide by these same rules throughout each stage of the application process.
Your application will be read thoughtfully and carefully. We wish you well as you pursue your senior year in high school. If you have any questions, feel free to use the following website: http://www.princeton.edu/admission. Please let us know if we can be of any help.
Sincerely,
Jenet Lavin Rapelye
Dean of Admission
16. Princeton’s honour system is ...
A. a system of rules based on honesty.
B. a system of rules based on intelligence.
C. an agreement with the faculty at Princeton
D. a statement of purpose.
17. Princeton University is interested to know that the applicant is all of the following EXCEPT:
A. respected as an individual
B. sluggish in submitting their application materials
C. capable of original and creative expression
D. well accomplished academically and personally
18. The best applications are ...
A. the latest ones to be turned in.
B. the simplest ones.
C. the ones that students spend a long time working on.
D. the longest ones.
19. If you have questions about the application, you should ...
A. send a personal letter to Jenet Rapelye.
B. go to the website listed in the letter.
C. send an email to Jenet Rapelye.
D. visit the university’s campus.
20. According to the letter, the Dean of Admission is probably...
A. a person who helps students with financial problems.
B. a person who provides students a tour of the university.
C. a person who helps students choose a university.
D. a person who helps students with their application.
Assignment 2. Read the text about computers in the classroom. Some parts of the text are missing.. Choose them from the paragraphs (A-K) the one which fits each gap (21-30). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.